Fileless malware attacks are almost 10 times more likely to succeed in infecting a machine than file-based attacks, according to a new report from the Ponemon Institute sponsored by security firm Barkly.

These attacks use a system's own trusted system files and services to obtain access to devices while evading detection. A fileless malware attack may be paired with other malware types to deliver multiple payloads.

Nearly 70% of the 665 IT and security leaders surveyed said that the endpoint security risk to their organization has "significantly increased" in the past 12 months. Some 54% of companies have experienced a successful attack, the survey found, with 77% of those attacks using exploits or fileless techniques.

IT and security leaders estimated that 29% of the attacks they faced in 2017 were fileless attacks—up from 20% in 2016. The proportion will likely continue to rise next year, respondents predicted, with fileless attacks estimated to make up 35% of all attacks in 2018.

"This survey reveals that ignoring the growing threat of fileless attacks could be costly for organizations." Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of Ponemon Institute, said in a press release. "The cost of endpoint attacks in the companies represented in this study could be as much as $5 million, making an enterprise-wide endpoint security strategy more important than ever."

Ransomware also continues to wreak havoc on many businesses, with more than half of the organizations surveyed reporting that they experienced one or more ransomware attacks in 2017. Of those, 40% said they experienced multiple ransomware attacks. Some 65% of organizations hit reported that they paid the attackers, with the average ransom payment hitting $3,675.

To address the rising threat of fileless malware, more than 50% of companies surveyed said they have looked to replace or augment their existing endpoint security with new tools. However, IT and security leaders cited problems with protection gaps, high false positive rates, and complex management in many new solutions.